


Redeeming Guardian

by The_duke_is_back



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragon Eren Yeager, Human Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), I'm Bad At Tagging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:14:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22688311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_duke_is_back/pseuds/The_duke_is_back
Summary: Life was good in Shiganshina until the Colossal Titan reared its' ugly face. The guardians, members of ancient families who were sworn to protect the walls, tried to fight against the titan. However the combined might of the Colossal and Armored titans, brought the walls crashing down around them.Years after, they reappear and this time, the remaining guardian who failed to defend Shiganshina appears to claim vengeance and repay the bastard for what he did to the guardian's hometown. Problem is, this makes him a rogue guardian. Rogue guardians are taken before the king to decide where they go next. What happens when this guardian falls into the hands of the Survey Corps?
Kudos: 42





	1. Fall of Shiganshina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day the walls fell. 
> 
> Enough said.

The day was peaceful. There was almost no difference between this day and the previous day. No one could even tell that something was about to shake their world. No one saw it coming. 

This was the day the walls came down. 

All was peaceful as the sun began to set. The lights were fading and people were happily chatting the time away. Then out of the blue, a lightning bolt struck the ground outside of the wall. A massive creature peered over it, hand gripping the wall for support. It kicked a hole in the wall and they heard a pained roar as one of the rocks fell somewhere in the city. The shock wave sent people flying in the streets, screaming with fear. 

A loud roar echoed through the city. The people looked up in time to see a massive, golden amber shape rise. Wings beat heavily to keep it aloft and it roared a challenge at the titan. 

"The guardians are here!" someone yelled. 

The guardians were there. However, those close enough to the golden guardian could see that its' hind legs drooped limply behind it. Something had broken its' hind legs and possibly its' spine. It roared and they stared as a smaller, emerald shape shot towards the titan, hissing and snapping. The golden one roared in irritation but the emerald one ignored them. The golden guardian sighed and roared, speaking in the tongue of dragons. 

**_"The nape, you idiot child! Destroy the_** _**nape!"**_ The emerald one didn't respond but scrambled around to snap at the nape. Soon the titan dissolved in a cloud of steam. The emerald one landed next to the older. 

_"Did I kill it?"_ The golden one looked tired, worried too. 

_**"I doubt it. It seemed too convenient. Stay on guard and try to block the entrance."**_ In a flash of emerald scales, the younger guardian was gone. They heard the sound of flames snapping but the golden one wasn't concerned with that. Screams snapped it out of its' painful reverie. It soared over to where the cannons were located. A massive, armored titan was running towards them. With a roar, it darted forward, wings spreading to replace its' hind legs. The titan and the guardian matched in a test of claws and fangs. 

The guardian attempted to snap and claw at the nape but the titan guarded against it. After a moment, an emerald streak slammed into the back of the armored titan. With a hiss of anger, the second guardian joined its' parent in tearing the armored titan to pieces. The golden one pulled back after a moment, feeling like it was missing something. The armored titan dragged it back into the fight, even though with both guardians attacking, it wouldn't last long. 

The golden guardian felt a wave of hot steam roll over its' scales and it whipped around, towards the gate. The Colossal titan had reappeared. It roared in frustration but when it tried to go after the titan, the armored titan dragged it back. The emerald one shot towards it with a panicked roar but it couldn't reach it in time. The second wall was broken and the guardians roared together. When they turned back to the armored titan, it was gone. The same thing occurred when they looked back at the Colossal titan. 

Normal titans began to gradually march towards the hole that was now in the walls. The guardians prepared to fight, although the golden one wasn't happy with the emerald ones' decision. 

_**"Go. Hide among the humans and wait for the bastards to reappear so you can kill them."** _

_"I'm not leaving you!"_ The emerald one hissed back. The golden one leaned over and snapped its' jaws around where the long, flexible neck connected to the body. The guardian went limp and disappeared. A single member of the Garrison stood and watched it. The golden one passed the person in its' jaws to him. 

_**"Look after him, Hannes. Please. Get him out of here. I'll hold the titans back for as long as I can, but I will fall eventually."**_ The human nodded and darted off, quickly getting on the last escape boat. 

"Eren!" Mikasa cried, darting towards the unconscious boy. Armin followed soon after. 

"Is he hurt?" Armin asked, worried. Hannes shook his head. 

"The guardian protected him. He'll be alright." The two nodded in relief, although they looked worriedly towards the guardian. 

"Will it be able to hold them off?" Hannes sighed, his gaze dropping to the ground. 

"She won't be able to hold them off forever, but she'll do her best." They tilted their heads at him. Hannes looked at them with a sad, but knowing, expression. He understood who it was. He cared for her as a good friend and wanted her son to grow up strong. 

"She?" Armin repeated. Hannes smiled and patted Armin's head. 

"Yes, she." 

As the boat sailed away, they saw a bright golden light emanating from where Shiganshina was. The sound of flames being exhaled at a fast rate could be heard, even from where they were. A roar echoed and Eren awoke just in time to see the light become its' brightest. 

"Mom..." he choked out as the sound of a massive explosion filled the air. Tears dripped down Eren's face and he rolled over, sobbing. He pulled away from Mikasa and Armin, even when they tried to comfort him. He just wanted to be left alone. 

Eren slowly drifted into the clutches of sleep and stared around himself. There appeared to be two versions. One was a small boy, sobbing softly. The other was a massive, green dragon who's head was hung low. 

"Mom! Please...please don't die, mom," the boy sobbed. Tears poured from his cheeks and Eren knew that this was his sorrow. He'd lost his mother and there was no way to come back from that. Not anytime soon, anyways. He turned and looked at the dragon, who looked at him with soft and guilty eyes. 

"I failed...I couldn't protect them...people are going to die...people _are_ dying...all because I couldn't do my duty." Eren studied his guardian form. On two different ends, he was being crushed with blood curdling sorrow and the lead weight of guilt. Too much guilt to even think about. He put his hands on them both. His right hand went on the foreleg of his guardian shape. His left hand went on the head of the sobbing boy. They looked at him, confused and not understanding what he was doing. 

"We'll fight. We'll learn. We're going to grow up and join the military. We won't tell anyone about what we really are and we'll fight them. We'll kill all the titans and get our revenge! It'll be revenge not only for mom's death, but also because they disgraced us! They brought us to the level of a rogue guardian! And they'll regret that," he promised darkly. The guardian and human looked at each other and back at Eren. 

"We're in."


	2. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been four years since the fall of Shiganshina. The emerald guardian hasn't been seen since and Eren has joined the trainees. He wants to learn how to fight those monsters even in his human form.

Eren's hands flashed as he slipped under Reiners' guard. He punched the burly teen in the jaw and Reiner fell back with a cry. He lay on the dirt while Eren straightened, looking down at Reiner. 

"Sorry, man, I didn't mean to hit you that hard," Eren said as he reached down to pull Reiner up. Reiner gladly took his hand and let the slimmer teen pull him to his feet. 

"You're really freaking strong, Eren. How on earth are you that powerful and so small at the same time??" Reiner asked incredulously. Eren frowned at Reiner and sighed, lightly punching him in the stomach. 

"I'm not small, you idiot. I'm just more lean than you are." Reiner shook his head. 

"I guess that's true. By the way, who isn't actually training?" Eren glanced around. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Jean, obviously faking his attacks. The other trainee wasn't really fighting either. But his eyes flicked to a lone figure stalking through the pairs. 

"Annie?" he asked. Reiner nodded with a grin. 

"How about we call her over and show her why she should be training right now," Reiner suggested. His grin showed he knew something that Eren didn't, but Eren ignored that. 

"Sure?" Reiner called Annie over. She came with an eye roll, as if there was nothing worse than answering Reiner. 

"What, Reiner?" Reiner folded his arms over his chest, trying-and failing- to act like Shadis. 

"Cadet Leonhart. You need to find a partner and continue your training," he said in a mock deep voice. Eren stared between them, obviously confused. Then Reiner decided it would be a good idea to drag Eren into the mix. "You'll be training with Cadet Yeager."

"Why?" she asked, clearly annoyed. Eren sighed. 

"Think of it this way, Annie, the sooner you get this over with the sooner you can leave and ignore Reiner." She seemed to be thinking about it. Then she raised her fists and turned towards Eren. 

"Fine then. Hate to do this, but you're going down." She shot towards him and Eren twisted, narrowly dodging. She grabbed his shirt and he felt a painful kick to his ankle, knocking him off balance. He tumbled, head over heels into the ground. Impact was painful, but he managed to harden his skin underneath his shirt fast enough to dull the impact. 

"Ow," Eren muttered. 

"You got wrecked, Eren! You were beaten by a girl!" Reiner laughed. Eren glared and sat up. He turned to look at Annie. 

"Hey Annie, do you want to show the blonde gorilla over there how easy it would be for a girl your size to absolutely crush him?" His tone was light and playful, but his eyes were anything but. Annie raised an eyebrow but nodded. Reiner chuckled and raised his fists. 

"I'll show you how a real man fights, Eren," he laughed.

Within the next ten minutes, Reiner suffered a crushing defeat, almost as if Annie wanted to make him suffer. He got back up, bruised and bleeding a little as Annie stalked away. Eren smirked at him. 

"Wow, Reiner, I didn't know that was how real men fight! If that's how real men fight, then maybe I should start fighting like a _woman_ ," he said victoriously. Reiner groaned and shot him a glare as he got up. 

"Shut up, Eren, she went easy on you," he grumbled. Eren's grin widened as he answered. 

"After watching the beating you took, I don't doubt she went easy on me. Though I think it was probably because I was dragged into it by you as much as she was," Eren chuckled as he got up. 

"Training's over for today, Cadets!" Shadis yelled. Eren smiled as he followed the crowd to the mess hall. He sat down next to Mikasa and she put a plate in front of him. He frowned. 

"Mikasa, what have I told you about getting my food for me? I'm not a baby, you know," he sighed. Mikasa smiled faintly at him. 

"I know, I just want to make sure you eat healthy." Eren huffed a laugh at that. 

"It's not like I could avoid it, considering that they hand out the same thing for everyone." A bright laugh echoed behind them and Armin sat down across from Eren. Eren smiled at Armin and took a bite of his bread. Dinner was quiet up until that horse Jean opened his mouth to neigh. Well, not literally neigh, but he was annoying like that. 

"So, Eren, how'd you end up with a fine specimen like Mikasa?" he purred. Eren felt his inner guardian twitch and hiss but Eren tamped it down. 

"She's not mine," he answered. He felt the change of attitude from Jean. It was more smug now and it was pissing him off. 

"Well, I hope you don't mind if I take her?" Eren glared at the horse. 

"I won't mind if you can get her to fall for you. Although, with the number of brain cells you have, that probably won't happen until you're somewhere in your nineties." There was silence over the mess hall before Jean exploded. 

"What did you say, you asshole??" he grabbed Eren's shirt and Eren stood up. He glared directly into Jean's eyes. 

"I said, you won't be smart enough to win her over, for a very long time. Jeez, how much more do I have to dumb it down for your horsey brain to understand?" Eren growled. Jean threw a fist at Eren but Eren dodged, easily slipping past the weak punch. Then he had a thought about how to end this quickly and efficiently. He shot forward, grabbed Jean's shirt, kicked his ankle, and let him fall. 

"You know Jean, I feel like if you put more work into your training, you'd actually be able to fight against me. For example, I learned that move today in hand to hand practice. While you were messing around and moaning like a bitch, I was getting beat up and learning from that. If you want to challenge me to a fight in order to prove you're better than me, you're going to have to work a hell of a lot harder than that."

Eren's guardian twitched, signalling a danger was getting near. He shoved Jean into his seat and took his own spot next to Mikasa. It was pretty confusing to the others that Eren would do that but it made sense a moment later when the door opened. 

"I heard a loud noise in here. Is something wrong? Is there something I should know, _cadets_?" Shadis growled as he stared through a crack. Mikasa raised her hand. 

"Sasha passed gas, sir." Sasha's eyes widened and her bread dropped from her horrified lips. Shadis narrowed his eyes.

"You again. I should've known. Try to control yourself next time," he spat as he shut the door. Immediately Sasha began pounding on Mikasa's arm. 

"Mikasa! How could you say that???" Mikasa shoved her bread in the other girls' mouth. Almost immediately Sasha was a peace with being a scapegoat. Eren smirked at Jean who glared at his food, not saying anything. 

Training was living hell for everyone but Eren and his guardian just absorbed any information they could. It was like they were a sponge, soaking up the knowledge. Within a few weeks, he'd reached the top of the class in all subjects. Anything that could help him kill the titans he learned quickly and kept in his mind. As a guardian, he had a higher capacity for knowledge than humans. Jean couldn't keep up with the pace that Eren learned things and Eren knew for a fact that he would be able to kill those things. 

Soon it was time for graduation. Eren was eager for his chance to join the survey corps and kill the monsters that had slaughtered his mother. His inner guardian roared at the thought of being able to kill them. He smirked to himself as he saluted to the ones in front of him. 

_Soon. Soon, I'll be able to claim my vengeance. Soon I'll kill them, every last one. Only a little more and I'll destroy them all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while since I actually posted anything. I've been distracted for a bit but I hope this will help satisfy any desire to read this story.


	3. Vengeance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and his friends are sent to watch the walls for a period of time between graduation and the night they pick which division they head into. Unfortunately, the person Eren's most wanted to see reappears.

Eren busily cleaned the artillery on the walls. He frowned, trying to ignore his frustration that was steadily smoldering inside of him. 

"I can't believe they put us on titan watching. Our biggest threats are pretty obvious and I highly doubt they'd show up here," Eren muttered. Connie grinned at him. 

"Aw, come on, at least you aren't being called a dwarf and told to go back to your mountain," he chuckled. Eren rolled his eyes, cracking a grin at the memory. Shadis apparently had a great hatred of short people, which was odd since with his height he could just look down on them. He recalled the scene he'd watched closely, remembering how he'd had to force down his guardian instincts. 

_"What's this here? I didn't know we were asking the dwarfs to come out from under the ground and fight our battles for us. Go back to your mountain, tiny man. If you're lucky, the titans won't bother you there." Connie bit his lip and Shadis noticed. "You got something to say, dwarf?"_

_"Sir, yes sir!" There was an awkward silence and Shadis sighed._

_"Spit it out already, you idiot!" Connie flinched and jolted._

_"I'm not a dwarf sir! I'm from Ragako!" Shadis glared at him. In a flash, Shadis had clamped his hands around Connie's head and lifted him into the air. Shadis glared at him._

_"You are whatever I say you are, midget. And I say you're a dwarf, so a dwarf you are." And that was that. No ifs, whats, buts, or hows about it._

"Yeah, I can't imagine what it would be like to get on his bad side," Eren snickered. Connie glared at him. 

"That would be because you were always his perfect, favorite student. No one could compare, not even Mikasa." Eren grinned sheepishly and scratched his scalp. 

"I just work hard, that's all." He smiled but his eyes were cold as he thought of the titans and how all that training had enabled him to learn how to fight without worrying about exposing what he was. Connie sighed and shook his head. 

"Y'know Eren, you say that but I can see something in your eyes: hatred and murderous intent. There's a goal you're working towards and it's more than just a comfortable life and plenty of food." Eren blinked, surprised that Connie had seen that. He brought a hand up to his eyes, as if somehow he could see his reflection in them. He couldn't, but he wondered if he often had a murderous gaze. 

"Hey guys! Look what I just snagged," Sasha called, hurrying up to them. She revealed a thing of meat, hidden in her pocket. "You guys will not believe what I had to do to get this little bit of meat."

Their eyes drifted down to something trailing down her face from her lips in a white line. They shivered and multiple thoughts flashed through their minds. 

_Purge the sickness! Dispose of the evidence! Sterilize her, she's infected!! No, Sasha, don't tell us! I don't want to hear this!!!_

"What's the matter with you guys? I just snuck into Shadis' office and stole it," she said with a grin. They glanced at each other nervously. All of them were wondering one thing, and one thing only: was it true?

"Are you going to eat all of it?" Connie asked, the first to break the silence. The others stared at him in shock. 

"Hell yeah I'm going to eat it all, who do you think I am??" Sasha growled. Connie raised his hands up and quickly backed off; Sasha became an animal when it came to food. They had all heard about how she had taken bread from Christa like an animal after an eight hour run. Just leaped forward and snatched it with her teeth. It was horrifying to hear about, especially from Christa who had clearly been terrified. 

Eren smiled at them. If he'd been normal, he probably could've settled for this. Cheerful friends, food in stomach, and a roof over his head. But...

He wasn't like normal people. 

His hand came up to his chest where it pressed gently. It was painful, a dull throb that constantly reminded him of his failure. He had let his protected territory fall and the fact that he had let his mother take the burden. And she died for it. It was his fault and no one else. No one else could defeat the titans until he did. No one else could kill those bastards until he bathed them in his flames. 

His fist clenched and he glared out over the wall towards the titans. He glanced back towards the city. 

_Bring it titans, I'll crush every last one of you._

Eren felt the static before he heard or saw anything. Right after the static there was a flash and a thunderous _crack_. He turned to find the Colossal titan behind him. His lips curled up and he felt his skin ripple. His friends were in front of him and he knew they wouldn't see this. He transformed and shot around the titan's neck. It immediately began blasting steam in an attempt to protect itself but Eren's wings simply adjusted. 

He was larger than before, and smarter too. He tore enormous chunks out of the neck, ignoring the slow hands that desperately tried to grasp him. Finally he saw the back of someone in the nape, as well as a head of dark hair. They were moving and somehow Eren knew, _this_ was what he needed to destroy. 

His jaws snapped around it and he ripped it viciously out, grinding it in his jaws, making sure it was dead. He dropped the limp flesh after grinding it to a pulp. Eren heard a furious roar and looked down into the city. 

Somehow, the armored titan had gotten into the inside. It roared at him and charged directly at him. Eren responded in kind but right before they clashed, he circled around and picked the titan up in his claws. He slammed it against the wall to minimize the damage done to the city. His fangs ripped and tore at the nape, easily snapping through the armor. This one was different from the other, Eren noticed when he reached the thing. It was broader and its' head was blonde instead of a dark brown or black. Eren didn't care though. He just wanted to make sure the thing was dead. 

His fangs snapped it up, half in his mouth and half out. His claws grasped it and he soared over the walls. He dropped the body outside where it immediately began to steam. Then he used his claws to tear the shape in his mouth in half. With the half in his claws, he tore it into multiple pieces while the one inside his mouth was shredded by a rough, sandpaper like tongue. Finally he let it drop and spit out the rest of the body. 

He landed on the wall, looking down at his handiwork with a feeling of satisfaction. His guardian threw back his head and roared, a sound that spilled from Eren's jaws. He had done it. He had redeemed himself by killing the two that had broken the wall. He roared, long, loud, and happy. Soon he heard the hissing of the gear. He turned as members of the Garrison landed. They pointed to a spot inside the wall and he landed there, obeying their orders. A man, the commander of this region, met him in full gear. 

"Who are you?" he yelled. Eren bowed his head, a sign of respect and submission. 

**_"I am the last remaining Jaeger."_** There were gasps and murmurs at this declaration. The man glared at him. 

"Can you be trusted?"

 ** _"I will not hurt any humans, if that's what you're asking. I only appeared to redeem myself by killing the titans that breached Shiganshina's walls to begin with. I apologize for my appearance without informing you of my presence."_** There were more murmurs. 

"I'll take him from here, Captain," an old voice said. There were gasps of surprise again and Eren lifted his head. An old man with a bottle smelling of whiskey came closer. 

"Commander Pixis!" the man said, bowing. Pixis looked at Eren, who bowed to him as well. 

"Raise your head, Guardian. You have saved many lives today." Eren lifted his head so he could look at Pixis. The man was bald and had many lines on his face, wrinkles that came with old age to humans. Eren could smell his breath even from the distance they were at and it was making him dizzy. He'd never been exposed to alcohol before but his body quickly adjusted, natural abilities kicking in to grant him a resistance to alcohol. 

"I will take you before the king. He can decide what will be done with you," Pixis said. Eren nodded. 

_**"How will I be transported? Will I be carried in a cage or given the freedom to walk alongside those traveling with me?"**_ Pixis shook his head. 

"It'll be the cage. You know how regulations are when it comes to Guardians. Especially rogues like yourself." Eren nodded. 

**_"I understand perfectly, Commander Pixis. I will wait for a cage to be brought unless you tell me otherwise."_** Pixis nodded. 

"Yes, very good." He turned away and gave his men orders while Eren curled up, wrapping his tail around himself. "Oh, and Guardian?"

 ** _"Yes?"_**

"Well done and thank you." Eren nodded to the man and curled into himself to sleep. It would be a long ride to Central and he didn't want to see the scenery pass by without him able to spread his wings and fly away. 

_At least I managed to redeem myself before they caught me._


	4. The Capital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren arrives at the capital, where his fate will be decided.

Eren raised his head when he heard the sound of gates being opened. He looked around, pleased to note that he had slept through the entire journey. He just hoped he hadn't shifted around so no one would have to deal with him. 

"Oh good, you're awake. I was going to wake you once we reached the palace," Pixis said after noticing that Eren was awake. Eren nodded and studied the new place he was in. Eren had heard so much about the central and its' beautiful guardians, but when he looked around, he felt sick. 

The guardians had dull scales, from lack of a healthy diet. Most of them seemed to be a dim, bruise purple color. They were swollen, like fat little babies, and Eren wondered if their wings could actually carry their weight. But just as he noticed them, they observed him. Some even came up to the cage. 

**"My, what beautiful coloring."**

**"Yes, absolutely stunning. Do you think he's a gift for the king?"**

**"He's one of those outer gate dragons. I highly doubt he's a gift for the king."**

**"I think he's a rogue."**

Eren sniffed and ignored them, curling up and burying his head under his wing. Just to clarify, no, that is not like a human sticking their head in their armpit. All four of Eren's legs were on the ground beneath him so this was more like having an extra limb that is like a blanket over himself. He noticed that Pixis also kept his distance from the guardians and frowned with disgust whenever they came too close. Eren smiled to himself, pleased that he had a companion. 

The city itself was different from what Eren was used to. The architecture was more delicate and for looks rather than for actual use. He frowned as he passed a house that had carved and painted roses on the side of it. Eren stared at it, confused as to why a person would rather make fake roses that look real instead of getting the real roses. He decided to nap again until he was brought to the king. 

When he entered the palace, Eren noted that the guardians here were even fatter than the ones outside. Their scales were darker and more bruise like than the others. It was odd how those with a small but healthy diet ended up having brighter scales than those who feasted on unhealthy food ended up looking dark and gross. It made Eren very happy that his mother had been assigned to Shiganshina instead of the capital. 

"Oh! Pixis, this is an incredible specimen, where on earth did you find him?" the king asked, hurrying over to them. Eren stared down at the disgustingly fat man in front of him. He seemed to ooze human suffering and obesity from his every pore. Pixis smiled, although Eren could tell it was false. 

"It was a rogue who defended Trost from the titans who caused the downfall of Shiganshina." The kings' eyes widened in shock. 

"A rogue defending the city? But why?" He addressed the last question to Eren who looked down at him. 

"It was my revenge and redemption. I failed to help my mother protect Shiganshina so I stayed at the walls and waited for my chance to hopefully exterminate those beasts." The king seemed surprised by this declaration. 

"So you're one of the Jaegers, hm? That is interesting." The king studied him. Pixis decided it was time to step in and talk to the king. 

"Sir, he hasn't hurt any humans but we need to decide what's going to happen to him from now on," he said. The king frowned but nodded. He reached out to trace the scales on Eren's tail, which he pulled away. 

"He has such a beautiful coloring, I'd love to keep him here. How about it? Would you like to stay here?" Eren shuddered at the thought. Stay? Here? In this disgusting den of human vanity and sin? He shook his head. 

"No thank you. I would much rather head beyond the walls and attempt to kill every last titan out there," he growled. Pixis was about to say something when someone else spoke up. 

"Sounds like he should join the Survey Corps." Eren turned his head to see the newcomers. A tall man with enormous blonde eyebrows and neatly styled blonde hair walked towards them.

"Erwin, kind of you to join us." Eren turned his head to look back at the king, noting that the man didn't really look all that happy to see him. Erwin, on the other hand, smiled and bowed to the king. His companion followed suit. 

"You called me earlier to speak with me. Something tells me this guardian was an unexpected visitor?" The king nodded. 

"Apparently he's a Jaeger who failed to protect Shiganshina from the titans. Although, I will admit that if what Pixis said is true, he's more than made up for that." Erwin smiled and studied Eren. Eren narrowed his eyes. Something about this guy made him feel...untrustworthy. It was like Erwin would use whatever pawns he could to get what he wanted. It made Eren feel sick. 

"A Jaeger, huh? I thought they were all extinct." The king shook his head. 

"Since the Jaegers were so powerful, I had them put on the outer walls. They keep to themselves for the most part and are rarely seen so it's no surprise everyone believed them dead." Erwin smiled at the king. 

"So what are you going to do now? He is a rogue, after all. So who will you put him with?" The king looked away, clearly uncomfortable under Erwin's gaze. 

"I would like to keep him here, but he doesn't want that. So I thought maybe he could go with Pixis?" The king looked to Pixis, almost pleadingly. Pixis studied Eren before shaking his head. 

"He's a bit too wild for my tastes. Besides, as a hunter he's more useful out acting as the predator, not the prey." Eren felt something in his heart light up. He was so close. So close to freedom, or as much as he could get inside the walls. Erwin smiled. 

"So then where will he go?" The king sighed. 

"Fine, Erwin, you can have him." Erwin smiled smugly and Eren cringed slightly away from him. Erwin bowed to the king. 

"Thank you for this fine gift to the Survey Corps. I promise we will put it to good use in reclaiming our territory." With that the cage was opened and Erwin walked away. Eren sighed, figuring that he should follow the creepy man. He did and saw him reach two other people. The first was a woman with long, reddish brown hair and glasses. The other...was a man with pitch black hair, styled in an undercut with sharp eyes.

"How'd it go, Erwin?" The man asked. 

"Did we get a guardian? Please tell me we did, please, please, please!" the woman cried, latching onto Erwin. Eren hesitated for a moment, wanting to see how this conversation played out. The raven haired man clicked his tongue. 

"Of course we didn't get a guardian, shitty glasses. We never get guardians. The king would rather trap them in the underground than give one of them to us," he snapped. The woman frowned at him. 

"Well, if we keep trying, we might actually get one, Levi." Erwin cleared his throat. 

"Actually, we got lucky." He glanced over his shoulder towards Eren. "Why don't you join us, Jaeger?"

"Fine." Eren stepped into the light, letting the bright rays of sunlight bounce off his scales and make them glitter like jewels. The woman gasped and her eyes widened to a size that Eren wondered if they were supposed to be. The raven haired man, Levi, studied him. Eren bowed his head to them. 

"This is the one we got?" Levi asked. His eyes flicked away, as if he were unimpressed. Erwin clicked his tongue. 

"Levi, would you rather have gotten one of the ones from central?" Levi clicked his tongue and turned away, clearly ignoring Eren. Eren almost glared at him but sighed instead. It was no surprise he wasn't welcome. Although, this was not how he envisioned joining the Survey Corps. 

"By the way, Jaeger, do you have a name or title we can use to refer to you? Since Jaeger is your guardian type it seems a little weird to call you that." Eren looked down at him. 

"You can call me Eren if it makes you happy." Erwin smiled and Eren nearly shuddered. All he saw when he looked at Erwin was a snake. A disgusting, venomous, snake. 

"Well Eren, welcome to the Survey Corps, we're very happy to have you." With that the three hopped on their horses and began to ride away. Eren followed at an equal pace. He wondered for a moment. 

_Is this really the freedom I wanted or just another cage? What have I gotten myself into?_


	5. Disagreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi doesn't trust Eren's capabilities.   
> Enough said.

When Eren got to the Survey Corps headquarters, he quickly discovered that these people were not accustomed to guardians. They always seemed surprised to see him, even though he was the size of a small house and had to sleep outside. Erwin had asked if that would be alright and Eren nodded. 

"I actually prefer sleeping outside." Is what he said. Although, with how often it rains, he was beginning to rethink that decision. He didn't transform into his human shape. He wondered what would happen if he tried wandering about like that. No one would recognize him, so there wouldn't be a problem. But, that in itself was a problem. He'd learned early on that these people were very suspicious of people they didn't recognize. In comparison, Levi's squad was particularly bad with new people. 

Sure, Eld, Gunther, and Petra may seem nice enough at first, but Eren had learned that they formed the inner circle of a base wide Captain Levi fan club. Any threat to him would be treated with cold caution and possibly even eliminated. He noticed this because of how the dining room was set up. Or rather, where everyone sat in the dining room. 

The cleanest person in there, Captain Levi, would sit in the center at the head of the table. Eren was pretty sure that was where Erwin was supposed to sit, but Erwin never came down from his office for meals. Everyone after Captain Levi's position depended on their cleanliness and eating habits. Anyone who spoke with food in their mouth? Far edges. Anyone who chewed with their mouth open? Far edges. Anyone who made messes while eating? Far edges. 

Although, Eren was also sure that no one could possibly be farther out on the edges than he was.

Eren sighed, remembering the look on Captain Levi's face when he'd seen the guardian eating. Raw pieces of meat were what Eren was given, even if he preferred things cooked. He'd been forced to eat with his mouth open, practically tossing the food around in his mouth, because he didn't have flat teeth like herbivores or omnivores. As such, when he'd noticed Levi watching him, he froze with meat hanging out of his jaws. 

"Disgusting." That was all Captain Levi said. It infuriated Eren to no end how uppity Levi acted, especially around him. 

_As if I don't know how I look when I'm eating raw, bloody meat with sharp fangs! I'm used to being an omnivore, what do you expect me to do, grind the meat in my teeth??? Ugh! Fucking bastard._

Eren was beginning to miss his human form. Not only was he cleaner like that, he could also do more. He wasn't massive and didn't have claws that could potentially cut anything he stepped on into pieces. He could even make his own food. Ah, Eren would never again take the gift of having hands, for granted. Also, he was getting a bit tired of fire showers. 

Fire showers were when he would clean himself of everything on him, by shooting streams of fire onto his scales. This would incinerate everything on him, but also melted the ground around him and made it impossible to touch him without being burned for a while after. His daily fire showers made a lot of people hesitant to get near him, for fear of being burned. 

However, Eren also knew that most people were eager to befriend the guardian. Probably because his job was to protect them and they figured that the closer they were to him, the better protected they were. 

They weren't wrong, per se. In all honesty, when not actually out doing his job of guarding them from the titans, the only protection Eren gave was good luck. Literally. He could increase someone's good luck just by being near them. Reversely, the further away someone was, the more unlucky they were. This is why common mistakes or clumsy accidents made Eren happy. Particularly when they were in close quarters with Captain Levi. 

He had seen quite a few at this point. 

Ink spills on his documents, tea splashes on his cravat which left stains, or a loose buckle letting him slide off the back of a stationary horse. He even began to get hit by pranks that weren't even meant for him. A bucket of water left above the door for a friend, a chalkboard eraser holding a door open until someone opened the door further and it fell on them, and even one where someone whipped his ass in the community shower stalls. The yip that earned was something Eren would remember forever. 

All in all, it was very amusing to watch on Eren's part. 

However, for Captain Levi, it was pretty clear his mood was deteriorating. He was quicker to snap at people and work them harder. It made Eren slightly guilty, but he knew not all of the things happening to Captain Levi were his fault. He wasn't telling the members to prank each other. He wasn't telling Captain Levi to go and find so and so when they were waiting for someone else. He sighed, knowing it was all bad luck. 

_Which just happens to be what comes upon people who tend to avoid or dislike me._ Eren cursed his inner voice. It was too smart for its' own good. Eren sighed and went out hunting. He knew no one wanted to bring the meat to him, and he was aware that it cost more. He told Erwin that he would provide for himself and they could spend the money on the others. Erwin was confused as to why Eren would say that, but wasn't opposed. 

And so, the day after, Eren crept into the forest to hunt. He managed to catch a deer, a buck by the looks of him, and was coming back when he heard voices. He paused, not wanting to intrude, but also curious because he could hear Levi and Erwin. He silently crept closer and listened to them. 

"Levi, how many times must I tell you? Having a guardian will greatly increase our odds of survival." Eren froze. It was a conversation about him! Why were they discussing him?

"Erwin, can we really trust this one though? He's the reason we lost the outer wall in the first place. If he's that incapable, then why should we trust him to keep us alive out there?" Eren very nearly growled but chose to listen to what Erwin said instead. 

"Levi, according to the records I found about Eren, he would've been a child then. Inexperienced and untested." Eren smiled, pleased that Erwin was defending him.

"So what? Even at that age it seems like guardians, particularly ones as esteemed as the Jaegers, would know how to defend the walls by that point. Both of them were completely useless." Eren felt his rage tip into a boiling point. He knew if they were to look over at him now, they would see the furious gaze of a predator. 

"Levi, they were not. Most of the people managed to get inside wall Rose before the titans arrived because they held them off." Eren relaxed a tiny bit. 

"Couldn't it have held off the titans indefinitely? Hell, it probably could've used its' body as a barricade if that's what it came down to." Eren roared with fury and came out of his hiding place. He glared down at Levi, scales rattling dangerously. 

"Don't you _dare_ talk about my mother that way," Eren snarled. Levi clicked his tongue. 

"Why shouldn't I? It's not like you can hurt me, right? Since I'm one of the people you're supposed to protect." Eren glared down at him. 

"Just so you know, if one of my charges is deemed a threat to the others, I can and will eliminate one of my charges for the good of the whole." Levi raised an eyebrow and held out his hands. 

"But I'm not hurting anyone, am I? I even tend to boost morale because I'm the famed 'Humanities strongest'." Eren glared at him. 

"I don't care who you think you are. I do not allow anyone, charge or not, to speak that way about my mother. She fought to the death, even with her legs broken and useless, to protect you guys. To protect you people, even though you did nothing for her. How dare you speak about her sacrifice like that," Eren snarled. Levi rolled his eyes. 

"You're just an over dramatic teenager." Eren growled furiously. 

"Would you like it if I insulted your mother? What was she in the underground, hm? What does she do for a living? Oh wait, nothing anymore because she isn't living, is she?" Levi glared at him murderously. 

"You'll shut your mouth right now if you know what's good for you," he hissed. Eren glared down at him. 

"Oh but I don't know what's good for me, do I? After all, I'm just an over dramatic teenager, right?" Levi turned to face him fully and Eren glared right back. The next thing they knew, there was a loud clap and they jolted. 

"THAT IS _ENOUGH_ , YOU TWO!" Erwin bellowed. His blue eyes blazed with fury. The two glanced at him and went back to glaring at each other. Erwin sighed. "Eren, follow me. Levi, I'll talk with you soon enough."

"Yes sir," they both muttered. They shot each other one last glare and then separated. Erwin stalked away and, after grabbing his kill, Eren followed. Erwin pointed to a small door that led to an underground area. Eren was confused as to what Erwin wanted. 

"Get in." Erwin's tone booked no argument and, with a sigh, Eren climbed in. There wasn't much space. His wings were cramped and he had to stay partially crouched. It made it very awkward. He looked up at Erwin, who shut the massive door. Eren's eyes immediately adjusted to the darkness. He noticed there were crates of what smelled like...vegetables? Eren was very confused at this point. 

When the door opened again, it hadn't been that long, and Eren couldn't see who was coming in. The next thing he knew, the door was being shut again and there was a curse. 

"Oh hell no! Erwin, let me out!" a familiar voice yelled. Eren felt like a rock had sunk to the bottom of his stomach and was now increasing in size and weight. 

_Please no. Please don't let it be who I think it is._

He inhaled and let the fire he gently breathed sit in his mouth. He partially opened his mouth, letting the light seep through his fangs. His eyes widened in horror as he beheld the other person in the underground area. Captain Levi brought a hand over his eyes. 

"What the fuck-Eren? Erwin, what the hell's going on?" he demanded through the door. Eren looked at it as well. 

"You and Eren will be stuck in there for a minimum of two days. During those two days, I want you to figure out how to get along because you're going to be working together for a long time. I'll open this door on the third day to either release you or put in more provisions." With that, no matter how much banging or yelling they did, Erwin refused to respond. 

"He probably walked away," Levi muttered. He glanced over at Eren and sighed. He rummaged around in the back and finally came back with a stick. 

"Do you mind? It's probably uncomfortable with that fire in your mouth for long periods of time." Eren leaned down and clamped his mouth around the stick. Levi was clearly confused but when Eren pulled back, the torch was on fire. Eren swallowed the flames and sighed in relief. 

When he held fire in his mouth for too long, he wanted to do one of two things. He would either swallow it and dispel the flames, or he would spit it out and light something on fire. In this case, there was pretty much only one thing he could do. Not to mention, since he was alone with Levi, he couldn't hurt his charge. He was supposed to protect him and that's what he'd do. 

"Looks like we're stuck here for a couple of days," Levi grumbled. Eren nodded. Levi glared at him. "Do you have anyway of making yourself smaller? It's going to be uncomfortable if you don't." 

"No. Even if I had a smaller form, I don't trust you enough to be in it around you." Levi clicked his tongue. 

"Then it's gonna be a long two days. Better get used to me 'cause Erwin won't let us out until we've 'bonded'." Levi rolled his eyes. Eren sighed but curled up and lay down. It was mildly uncomfortable, but he was willing to put up with it to protect his secret. 

"Good night, Captain," Eren said. He heard a sigh and felt a booted foot against his wing. 

"Good night, brat."


	6. Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1 of being stuck together underground.   
> Levi may or may not have a freak out.

Eren yawned when he woke up, attempting to stretch. He winced as his wings brushed the ceiling and pressed against the walls. He curled them back in and stared sleepily at the area around him. 

_When did I end up underground?_

The events of the previous day came flashing back to him and Eren shot to his feet. His head hit the ceiling and he let out a soft whine of pain. He carefully crouched down and heard a soft groan. 

"Ugh, could you be any louder?" Levi grumbled. Eren glared at him. 

"Do you want me to roar in your ear?" he asked sarcastically. Levi shot him a deadly glare and sighed, getting up. He stretched and Eren envied him for being able to. Levi glared at him. 

"What?" Eren shook his head. 

"It's nothing. You should make breakfast, I'll get a fire started." Levi frowned. 

"You can see in this place?" he asked. Eren focused on Levi's eyes, noticing that the pupils were dilated to the max. 

"Oh right, you can't see in the dark, can you? Alright. I'll get a fire going and then you'll make breakfast." Levi glared in his direction. Well, actually pretty much anywhere but behind Levi could be considered in Eren's direction. He was currently staring at Eren's chest. 

"I'm not making breakfast for you." Eren sighed. 

"I know that, dumb ass. I wasn't planning on you making my breakfast. I'm not going to eat anything." Eren twisted to snap up some of the sticks behind him and pull them in front of himself. 

"Why not?" Eren sighed. He exhaled a flame and quickly lit the branches on fire so Levi could see. He glanced down at Levi, who now snapped his gaze up to actually look at Eren. 

"Because I wouldn't want to get you dirty. You're dirty enough as it is, and there's no point in making it look like you murdered something." Levi seemed to realize where he was and looked around. He went pale as a sheet and stumbled backwards. Eren frowned, noticing that Levi was shaking. "Levi?"

"Eren, I need water, cleaning rags, and soap. I can't stay here otherwise." Eren stared at him. 

"You do realize the only things Erwin left us with were provisions and sticks, right? We don't have those supplies." Levi's eyes widened and he began to inhale and exhale faster than before. It worried Eren, considering that Levi normally didn't act this way. "Levi?"

"Fuck. I need to get out. I need to get out. LET ME OUT!" he screamed. Eren pulled as far away from Levi as he could. The guy was acting crazy. He began to shake and desperately wiped his hands against his clothes. There were tears in his eyes and he began to claw at his skin, as if trying to tear it off himself. He was hyperventilating and Eren was worried about what Levi would do to himself if this continued. 

So he pressed Levi against the wall with his head, immobilizing Levi. Levi whimpered and thrashed slightly, attempting to free himself. Eren made soft crooning noises and slowly, so slowly Eren wondered if he was imagining it, Levi began to calm. 

"It's okay, Levi. Just breathe. In, hold it, out, push it. Repeat. Good, there you go. You're alright, you're fine. It's okay, Levi." Finally Levi returned to normal, seeming confused as to why he was pinned against the wall. He seemed shocked and Eren could see the flare of realization in his eyes. 

"You good?" Eren asked. Levi nodded. 

"I-yeah. I'm good. Probably." Eren slowly drew back and Levi sighed. "Sorry, I'm just-fuck, this is humiliating." 

Eren began to purr, a soft and soothing noise that he had noticed tended to calm people down. Levi stared at him but let him continue to purr, probably realizing it was for him. 

"Levi, I might have a way that you can clean yourself, but it won't work on your clothes or the environment." Levi glanced up at him. His expression was a mix between distrustful and hopeful. 

"What is it?" Eren spat out a bit of saliva. Levi withdrew but stared as it began to glow and flicker like fire. "What the hell?"

"It won't burn you, it's not hot enough for that, but it should burn off any bacteria or such. This is why I said it wouldn't work on your clothes or the environment." Levi shook his head and picked it up. It was surprisingly solid but flimsy. It felt almost like those things of slime that people were so obsessed with, even though they did nothing. The difference was that it was warm. It was gentle and warm, like a shower. Levi took off his clothes, Eren looking away during that time, and Levi bathed in Eren's saliva. He was cleaner by the end of it. 

"Um, thanks for this," Levi muttered. Eren smiled and nodded. He dug a small hole and put the glob of spit in it before burying it. That way it would be absorbed into the soil instead of just sitting for who knew how long. The day passed quickly with the two barely doing anything. They didn't want to interact, although it was clear they weren't as hateful as they had been the day before. Right before bed, Levi sighed. 

"Eren, I've been thinking about something. No, don't interrupt. This is something that's not easy for me to say. I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. I said very rude things about you and your mother yesterday. It seems odd in retrospect because I of all people should know better than to talk crap about someone's dead mother. It sucks, especially as a kid." Eren watched Levi. Levi wouldn't meet his gaze but Eren nodded. 

"I forgive you. Besides, I should be asking your forgiveness too. I...I rubbed in the fact that your mother was dead. I was rude and inconsiderate, and for that I apologize. I...I react badly when people talk badly about my mom, even when she fought so hard to protect all of us. It's particularly bad when its' humans talking like that. It just pisses me off, even though I know I shouldn't react to it. They don't know. They're only thinking from what they've heard. It still hurts though." They were silent for a moment. Levi sighed and came up to Eren. He lay against Eren's side, much to Eren's surprise. 

"Shut up." Levi grumbled. Eren smirked internally. 

"I didn't say anything." There was a pause and then they spoke again. 

"Good night, Levi."

"Good night, brat."


	7. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 in the underground room.   
> Levi talks about his past.

When Eren woke up in the morning, he could smell the scent of cooked meat. At first he assumed it was merely something he'd dreamed about because it'd been so long since he'd eaten meat that was cooked, but he quickly learned otherwise. 

Specifically, he learned it was real because Levi kicked him in the face and woke him up. 

"OW! What the FUCK Captain?" Eren yelped. Then his nose picked up the smell of cooked meat. His nostrils flared and Eren felt a momentary urge to cry because it smelled so fucking good and he couldn't have any. 

"Are you finally up? Good. Now come eat. I carved up that deer you brought with you. Figured we might as well eat it before it went bad." Eren stared. Levi had gotten a fire going on his own and had managed to impale the deer's form on a stick. It had been skinned and the organs were removed. It had also been seasoned. Eren's stomach growled painfully and Eren looked down. But not before he caught a slight smirk on Levi's face. Levi rolled his eyes. 

He cut off a small portion and ate it before moving the rest of it off the fire. Eren's stomach gave another growl, like a cat meowing for food or attention. Had Eren been in his human form, he would've blushed. However, he was a dragon and they (thankfully) weren't able to blush. Eren waited for it to cool before he grasped the stick in his front claws and ravenously tore it apart. He purred at the delicious taste. 

"Huh. I never thought you'd prefer cooked meat to raw meat." Eren glanced at Levi and swallowed. 

"That's because you never asked. I was just given raw meat and I'd prefer raw meat to tasteless cooked meat. If I'm going to eat cooked meat, it has to be seasoned. Otherwise, it tastes bland and makes me feel nauseous." Levi nodded. 

"You're weird, you know that Eren?" Eren sighed but nodded. 

"Yes, I know I'm odd." With that, they finished their meal in silence. Well, mostly silence. Eren was purring the whole way through. It was pretty clear that Eren enjoyed himself. 

Since they had absolutely nothing to do, Levi began to exercise. At first it started with basic work outs, like push ups and sit ups and that sort of thing. Then he approached Eren. 

"Hey, Eren, do you mind if I use you for exercise?" Eren stared at him, confused, awed, and shocked. He blinked dumbly at him until the words settled into Eren's head. He figured it would be a good idea to repeat the words back. 

"You want to exercise...on me?" he asked. Levi clicked his tongue. 

"Did I fucking stutter?" Eren shook his head. He sighed. He was curious if he was being honest, and slightly nervous about how this would go.

"Feel free to try, just watch the spines on my back, they're sharp." He could feel the boots attempting to run on him, but with the smooth scales and how Eren unconsciously shifted to avoid them, it wasn't easy for Levi. When Eren peeked at Levi, he had worked up a sweat. His pale skin glistened with it and some of his hair was pasted to his forehead. But he had the biggest grin Eren had ever seen on him, covering his face. He looked like a child on Christmas morning. 

The day was spent with Levi working out by using Eren. As the day went on and Levi got better and better, Eren also made things difficult by moving underneath him. It was an interesting kind of exercise for Eren as well since he couldn't really move his entire body and had to settle for moving only those muscles. It became more like a game than actual exercise. Levi would try to stay on top of Eren for as long as possible, while Eren would try to knock him off. By the end of it, they were both laughing messes. They settled down when it was time for dinner. 

While they were eating, Eren decided to bring up something he'd wondered about for a long time. 

"Hey, Levi? Where are you from?" Levi stared at him darkly, not pausing in his chewing. Eren began to shift nervously, wings scraping the ceiling. "It's just, I heard that you came from the underground...so I was curious..."

Levi sighed and finished the remaining food he had. He stared at Eren, who wouldn't meet his eyes and groaned. 

"Fine. I'll tell you. Yes, I'm from the underground. I was born to a bastard father I didn't even know and my mother. Her name was Kuchel." Eren interrupted here. 

"Your father was a bastard??" Levi glared at him. 

"My mother was a prostitute, okay? Anyways. My mom, she did everything she could to feed me. She took on more work and even gave me her food. In the end, she died of starvation. My uncle Kenny picked me up. He'd really come to check on my mother, but she was dead and the only thing she'd left behind was me, a scrawny brat. He taught me how to survive down there. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have made it to where I am now." Eren watched with attentive eagerness. 

_I'm being told something I don't think even Erwin knows!!_

"I started a gang of my own. Well, they collected around me is more like what happened. Farlan and Isabel were the closest. We figured out how to work with maneuver gear after we stole some from the Military police. It wasn't like they'd be using it for anything good. Some noble from above ground offered us a deal. If we could kill Erwin Smith, we'd be granted legal citizenship and allowed to move to the surface."

_But Erwin's still alive and I've never even heard of Isabel or Farlan, so what happened??_

"We agreed but only if the Scouts actually came to us. It really doesn't need to be said, but obviously they did. It was the first time I've been outmaneuvered, but they had the advantage of numbers. Erwin didn't come to kill us. He wanted us to join his ranks in the Survey corps. I agreed as did Isabel and Farlan. However, those two died on the first expedition we went on. I joined because I had nothing better to do and it had been their dream to see the outside world. So I'm just living it for them." With that, he trailed off. He laid down and rolled over. 

"I'm going to sleep now. Good night, brat." Eren fought back tears. Even if he'd been so calm and controlled about it, it was so sad for Eren. He sniffled a bit and responded. 

"Good night, Levi."


	8. Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin will now either let them out, or put in new provisions.

Eren woke up early the next day. He could tell that they were coming so he nudged Levi awake. Levi grumbled a bit. 

"What?"

"Erwin's coming." Immediately Levi was awake. 

"What're we gonna do?" Eren considered the options. 

"We could either show him we get along, though he might think it's a trick, or..."

"Or?" Eren glanced down at Levi mischievously. 

"Or we could escape." Levi raised an eyebrow and a smirk tugged at his lips. 

"How do you propose that, brat?" Eren smirked, a toothy grin. 

"You ride behind my horns, using them as something to hold on to, and when they open the door, I burst out and we fly back to base." Levi smirked, thinking about it. His eyes flicked up to Eren. 

"Let's do this." There was a twinkle of delight in his eyes and Eren lowered his neck so Levi could climb on. Levi did. 

"Wow, this isn't all that difficult. It's almost like it's made for someone to ride here." Eren shivered. 

_Does he know?? Did he figure it out somehow?? Shit, what if he decides to-no, no, it's okay. He doesn't know, I'm safe. For now._

"Eren?"

"What?"

"Get ready, they're here." Eren grinned and crouched, just waiting for the door to open. As soon as it did, he knew he'd have enough momentum to slam them open the rest of the way. All he needed was for them to open enough that he could fit his head through. He watched as the door slowly creaked open. 

_Almost...almost..._

"Now!" Levi called. Eren shot forward, shoulders shoving open the rest of the door. Once out in the sunlight, he spread his wings and leaped into the air, shooting higher than he'd ever gone before. He roared eagerly. He could feel a tight grip on his horns and decided to level out. He could see all the way over the walls from here. It was gorgeous. For once in his life, Eren could see a massive, silver surface far beyond the walls. 

"The sea..." he murmured. He glanced back at Levi who was still holding on tightly. Eren grinned and snapped his wings shut. With a terrified shout from Levi, they plummeted. The ground began to rush towards them, almost the same way that it rushed past a person on horseback. 

"Eren." Three hundred meters. 

"Eren!" Two hundred meters.

"EREN." One hundred meters. 

"EREN!!" Sixty meters. As soon as he reached the height of the walls, Eren spread his wings and pulled up. His feet actually brushed the ground before he shot back into the sky. He roared with elation. It felt so good to fly without restraint. Then he heard a wild shout. He glanced backwards in surprise but rolled his eyes at himself, awed by his stupidity. 

_He's literally right behind your head. Of course it sounds like he's right behind you._

"Eren, do that again!" Levi shouted. Eren could practically hear the smile in his voice. Eren happily complied with Levi's wish. This time he dove in a predator's stance. His wings folded back in a v shape and he shot towards Erwin and the others. He heard the terrified screams as people darted to get out of his way. Eren pulled up easily and roared with joy. It was so fun to mess with them. 

Then another idea occurred to him. 

He had a passenger right then. He could totally mess with that one...Eren grinned and shot up. Then he flipped and did a loop. Levi shouted with excitement and Eren chuckled. Eren roared and they soared and played in the air for hours. It was getting dark by the time they returned to the castle. Erwin and the others had already gone back, after realizing that Eren _wasn't_ trying to kill Levi. They landed in the courtyard and Eren lowered his neck so Levi could slip off. They were both laughing like maniacs. 

What could they say, flying was fun. 

Erwin coughed into his hand and the two struggled to put on calm faces. Well, Eren struggled. Levi put it on as if he hadn't been laughing mere moments before. Erwin rolled his eyes. 

"Are you two best buds now?" he asked. They glanced at each other. Levi leaned against Eren's leg. 

"Well, we're better friends than you and I are." Erwin raised an eyebrow and looked at Eren. 

"How you managed that in two days, I have no clue." Eren chuckled. 

"I think it was the flying. It makes for an excellent way of confusing people and flipping their viewpoints upside down. Literally." Erwin chuckled. But Levi seemed pissed.

"You've had other passengers?" he asked, dangerously. Eren tilted his head. 

"Of course not. You're the first." That seemed to settle him. That night, Levi had them cook the meat they'd prepared for Eren. They were all surprised by his purring. Eren smiled at them, as well as he could with fangs, and they seemed to understand that he appreciated them. While eating, Eren glanced at Levi. 

Levi had shared something precious with him. He'd been honest and admitted things to Eren. So Eren figured he should do the same. He waited until Levi went to his private office before gently gliding up next to the window. He tapped it with a claw and Levi opened it. 

"What is it, Eren?" 

"Can I...Can I talk to you? In private?" Levi nodded. Eren brought his neck close to the window and Levi sighed. He climbed on and Eren soared towards the forest. A couple of days after he'd arrived, he'd found a small clearing that was private and rarely visited by the local wildlife. He landed and Levi climbed off.

"So? What did you want to talk about?" Eren inhaled slowly. 

"I want to be honest with you." Levi tilted his head. 

"Have you been lying about things?" Eren shook his head. 

"No, I haven't really been lying, just avoiding the topic. I...It's something that guardians don't take lightly. It's also how rogues like myself can blend into human society." Levi nodded and Eren inhaled. He let his scales melt into his skin but protrude enough that he'd be covered. Levi's eyes were wide as Eren, now mostly human, stood in front of him. 

"Holy...but this seems a little obvious to me?" Eren sighed. 

"I'm not fully transformed because I figured you wouldn't want to see a teenage boy butt naked." Levi raised an eyebrow. 

"So...why show me this?" he asked. Eren exhaled slowly. 

"Levi, I want to ask you to do something. I want you to become my rider." Levi stared at him for a moment. 

"What? I already am your rider." Eren was shaking his head even before Levi had a chance to finish the statement. Eren fidgeted nervously. 

"That's not the same. A rider is a person who a guardian accepts as being stronger. Taking a rider is like admitting, you're stronger than I am, please teach me how to be strong and aid me when need be. It takes careful consideration but I can't think of anyone else I'd want to be partnered with." Levi stared at him with that careful blank face. 

"So how do I become your rider?" Eren sagged with relief and Levi caught him. "Woah, hey, you alright?" 

"I'm fine, just glad that you didn't say no. One of the worst things that can happen to a guardian is when the person they want to be their rider, says no. I was worried you might do that." Levi clicked his tongue. 

"I'm not that kind of person. Besides, it seems like a big deal to you so it would be rude for me not to think it through." Eren nodded, happily. 

"Alright. All you have to do to become my rider it to mark me. Make sure there is a symbol, somewhere on my body, that claims me as yours." Levi stared at him. 

"Do you mean like a brand?" Eren nodded. 

"A brand, scar, anything permanent that cannot be parted from my body. As long as it's clear I'm yours, it will serve it's purpose." Levi nodded and drew out a blade from his boot. 

"Turn around." Eren did and let the scales on his back fade into his skin. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, but he wanted this. He wanted to have Levi as his rider. He felt the knife tip dig into his skin and begin to cut. Eren bit his lip as it slowly dragged through his skin. Finally it pulled away and Eren gasped. "Do you need me to bind it with something?"

"Can I see your hand?" Eren asked. Levi held it out. Eren gently nipped his pointer finger, just hard enough to draw blood. Levi yelped and then Eren felt the bond crash into him. The scars on his back now healed, becoming a permanent part of him. The scar on Levi's finger would remain forever as well. Levi studied it. 

"What the hell? I was sure you drew blood." Eren smiled and turned his back to Levi. 

"Once the bond is complete, the marks will automatically heal. By the way, what's your mark?" Eren asked. Levi grinned. He picked up a stick and drew in the dirt. Eren was surprised to see the wings of freedom take place but then Levi began to draw more inside those. On the right side wing there were teeth, claws, and fire. He assumed that represented him. On the left side, there were blades and ravens and what looked like water but might've been blood. Eren smiled. 

"You're an incredible artist, you know that?" Levi glanced away. 

"Only when it's not work." Eren chuckled and wrapped his arms around Levi. 

"Thank you. Thank you for accepting me." Levi blushed but clicked his tongue. 

"It was nothing. Come on, we should get back to base." Eren smiled and transformed. He carried his new rider gently back to his office. Levi turned and smiled at Eren. 

"This is just the beginning of something, isn't it?" Eren smiled and nodded. 

"You've tied yourself to a guardian. Of course it's a new start." Levi chuckled. Eren smiled and huffed a breath of warm air over Levi, ruffling his hair. 

"Good night, Levi." Levi rolled his eyes. He reached out and patted Eren's nose. 

"Good night, Eren."


End file.
